Scorpion Survey with a Surprise
Moksha Badarayan
Outdoor Education Coordinator
Wind Wolves Preserve
This spring, The Wildlands Conservancy’s Wind Wolves Preserve welcomed several teams of researchers investigating a range of topics.
While searching for scorpions at Wind Wolves, researchers from the Arachnology Department at the California Academy of Sciences came across a unique snake! After consulting with herpetology experts, they hypothesize the snake may be a hybrid between a San Joaquin coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum ruddocki) and a striped racer (Masticophis lateralis lateralis). While striped racers typically prefer environments with more moisture, at Wind Wolves (which is overall considered semi-arid) they may be able to survive in the riparian area near the creek. In this limited environment, they may have difficulty finding mates, leading to hybridization with the related San Joaquin coachwhip, which specializes in more arid environments. This cannot be proven without further genetic research.
*Please do not attempt to handle wild snakes. Leave it to the experts!
Potential hybrid of a San Joaquin coachwip snake (Masticophis flagellum ruddocki) and a striped racer snake (Masticophis lateralis lateralis). Photo by Prakrit Jain.
Burrowing scorpions (Kochius sp.) are small (up to 1.25 inches) and generally not harmful to humans. They are found throughout the western US from California to Nevada, Utah, and Arizona and south into Baja California in Mexico. One unique feature of this genus is the presence of trichobothriae (hairs) on the 6th segment of the abdomen. Like other scorpions, these species are nocturnal and have a substance in the hyaline layer of their exoskeleton that fluoresces under black light. Scientists think that the fluorescence acts as a sunscreen and allows them to recognize each other in the dark.
Possible unnamed scorpion species similar to Kochius hirsuticauda, a type of burrowing scorpion. Photo by Prakrit Jain.
Although California trapdoor spiders are commonly found in southern California, the research team was surprised to find them this far north. Males are generally smaller (0.75-1.0 inches in length) than females (1.25 inches in length). As their name implies, trapdoor spiders dig a burrow using a special series of spines along their jaw called a rastellum and then weave a door out of layers of silk and soil which they can open and close to catch passing prey. In January, males will leave the safety of their burrows to search for a mate. Females lay eggs in a silk hammock inside her burrow. They hatch in early spring and venture forth to create their own burrows.
California trapdoor spider. Photo by Prakrit Jain.